Bullet train videos

A video posted online by Islamic State militants on Tuesday showed a boy fatally shooting Muhammad Musallam, an Israeli Arab accused by the group of having signed up as a jihadi to spy for Israel's intelligence service.
The video, published by the group's Furqan media outlet, showed Musallam, 19, sitting in a room wearing an orange jumpsuit, talking about how he had been recruited and trained by Mossad. He said his father and elder brother had encouraged him.
After that, it showed Musallam being escorted to a field and then being shot in the head by a boy, described by an older, French-speaking fighter as one of the "cubs of the caliphate".
Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the footage, which also appeared on Twitter feeds used by Islamic State supporters.
Israeli security officials said they were aware of the video but could not confirm that it was authentic.
The video, about 13 minutes long, showed Musallam on his knees when the boy armed with a … [Read more...] about Islamic State video shows killing of teen accused as Israeli spy

PARIS: Heavily-armed men shouting "Allahu Akbar" stormed the Paris headquarters of a satirical weekly on Wednesday (Jan 7), killing 12 people in cold blood in the worst attack in France in decades.The assault on Charlie Hebdo headquarters in a quiet Paris neighbourhood sparked a massive manhunt as the gunmen managed to escape, executing a wounded police officer as they fled. The men remained on the run in the early evening, with few clues on their whereabouts and parts of the French capital in lockdown.French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said security forces were hunting for three gunmen after the noon-time attack on the weekly. French police said they have identified three suspects who were allegedly behind the attack.Two of the suspects are believed to be brothers - Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi - both in their thirties. The third suspect is named as Hamyd Mourad, who is 18 years old. Reports said the trio are linked to a Yemeni terrorist network.Victims included four … [Read more...] about 12 dead in “terrorist” attack at French satirical weekly; suspects identified

ANKARA: Turkey on Thursday (Jun 30) detained 13 suspected Islamic State militants over the deadly Istanbul airport attack, as chilling details emerged of how suicide bombers launched their assault. The death toll from Tuesday's gun and suicide bomb spree at Ataturk airport has risen to 42, state-run news agency Anadolu said, with 13 foreigners among the dead and more than 200 people injured. Turkey has been plunged into mourning over the carnage at Ataturk airport, the deadliest yet of several attacks to strike Turkey's biggest city this year. Police carried out 16 raids across Istanbul early Thursday, an official said, with three foreign nationals among the "IS suspects" detained. "It is probable that at least one attacker was a foreign national," he added, speaking on condition of anonymity. Turkey has suffered a string of deadly attacks in the past year blamed on either IS or Kurdish rebels, and the airport attack comes just at the start of the crucial summer tourist season. … [Read more...] about 13 detained over Istanbul airport attack

STANBUL: Turkey pointed the finger of blame at Islamic State militants on Wednesday (Jun 29) after suicide bombers armed with automatic rifles attacked Istanbul's main international airport, killing 41 people, including foreigners. Witnesses described scenes of terror and panic on Tuesday evening as the attackers began shooting indiscriminately and then blew themselves up at the entrance to Ataturk airport, one of Europe's busiest hubs. The assault, which comes at the start of Turkey's crucial tourist season, was the latest in a wave of attacks in Istanbul and the capital Ankara blamed either on Islamic State (IS) militants or Kurdish rebels. Interior Minister Efkan Ala said there was an ongoing "serious and comprehensive investigation" into who was behind the attack, using another name for IS as he told reporters: "First signs point to Daesh but it's not certain yet." The city's governor said 41 people were killed, including 13 foreigners, and 239 wounded. The dead include several … [Read more...] about 41 dead as Turkey blames IS for Istanbul airport carnage

Islamist militants have caused 10 deadly attacks in Europe in the last two years. May 24, 2014 - Four people are killed in a shooting at the Jewish Museum in central Brussels. The attacker was French national Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, who was subsequently arrested in Marseille, France. Extradited, he is awaiting trial in Belgium. January 7-9, 2015 - Two Islamist militants break into an editorial meeting of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on January 7 and rake it with bullets, killing 17. Another militant kills a policewoman the next day and takes hostages at a supermarket on January 9, killing four before police shoot him dead. The attacks prompt a worldwide solidarity movement with the slogan "Je Suis Charlie" (I am Charlie). October 10, 2015 - Two bombs explode seconds apart at a rally of pro-Kurdish activists and civic groups near Ankara's main train station, killing 102 people. Turkey blames suicide bombers who belong to an Islamic State cell from the southeast. November 13, 2015 - … [Read more...] about Deadly Islamist attacks in Europe since 2014

The "shady individual" showed up at a public gathering for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords asking to see the lawmaker, according to event volunteer Alex Villec. Told he would have to wait his turn, the man left but returned minutes later and gunfire erupted. The man, wearing a black cap and baggy pants and shirt, rushed by a table separating him and Giffords, raised an arm, and then came shots, Villec, 19, told The Associated Press. "He was definitely on a mission," said Villec, a former Giffords intern.Police say the shooter was in custody, and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as Jared Loughner, 22. U.S. officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release it publicly.His motivation was not immediately known, but Dupnik described him as mentally unstable and possibly acting with an accomplice. His office said a man possibly associated with the suspect who was near the scene was being … [Read more...] about Shooting targets US congresswoman, kills 6

Move over vampires, goblins and haunted houses, this kind of Halloween terror aims to shake up even the toughest warriors: An untold number of so-called zombies are coming to a counterterrorism summit attended by hundreds of Marines, Navy special ops, soldiers, police, firefighters and others to prepare them for their worst nightmares."This is a very real exercise, this is not some type of big costume party," said Brad Barker, president of Halo Corp, a security firm hosting the Oct. 31 training demonstration during the summit at a 44-acre Paradise Point Resort island on a San Diego bay. "Everything that will be simulated at this event has already happened, it just hasn't happened all at once on the same night. But the training is very real, it just happens to be the bad guys we're having a little fun with."Hundreds of military, law enforcement and medical personnel will observe the Hollywood-style production of a zombie attack as part of their emergency response training.In the … [Read more...] about Marines, police prep for mock zombie invasion

More than 1,000 people were feared dead after a monster tsunami unleashed by a massive quake which wreaked destruction across northeast Japan and triggered an emergency at a nuclear power plant. A quake caused roads to collapse in Urayasu city, Chiba prefecture. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Saturday 45,000 residents living within 10 kilometres (six miles) of the plant must evacuate amid fears of a slight radiation leak, before stepping onto a helicopter to head for the area.The atomic emergency came as the country struggled to assess the full extent of the devastation wrought by the massive tsunami triggered by the strongest quake ever recorded in Japan.The towering wall of water generated by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake -- the seventh biggest in history -- pulverised the northeastern city of Sendai, where police reportedly said 200-300 bodies had been found on the coast. Kyodo News said the final death toll was likely to … [Read more...] about 1,000 feared dead in Japan quake-tsunami disaster

Questions mountedover how a known Islamic extremist managed to murder seven people,including three children, in three separate attacks before being killedin a firefight. Members of the RAID special police force unit are welcomed back by paratroopers at the Perignon barracks after the assault on the flat of Mohamed Merah, on March 22, 2012 in Toulouse, southwestern France. (AFP Photo/Remy Gabalda) Adding to pressure on security officials, one veteran police officer asked how the gunman was not taken alive during the siege and final assault in the southwestern city of Toulouse, on Thursday. Officers from an elite unit moved after a 32-hour siege, killing self-proclaimed Al-Qaeda militant Mohamed Merah as he tried to shoot his way out of his apartment. The siege had interrupted the hard-fought campaign for France 's April-May presidential vote, but Sarkozy resumed his re-election bid … [Read more...] about French officials face questions over Toulouse killer

Next Week
To many, Viet Nam is a peaceful and friendly destination, abundant in culinary delights, natural treasures and local smiles.
But according to some, Viet Nam faces a crisis of image.
A recent article by Dea Birkett on the Travel page of the Daily Mail (online) has sparked a debate about how visitor's perceive Viet Nam.
In her article, Birkett wrote the country was haunted by "the scars of conflict," that "it's not easy to forget the war" and that "the American war is still evident" throughout the country.
Since being published on Sunday, the story has received a predominantly negative reaction from readers, many arguing her preoccupation with war (unfairly) overshadowed her perception of Viet Nam.
Do you agree with Birkett? What was your mindset before and after visiting Viet Nam?
Please reply by email to: [email protected], or by fax to (84-4) 3 933 2311. Letters can be sent to The Editor, Viet Nam News, 79 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Ha Noi. Replies to next week's … [Read more...] about Use of firearms by traffic police should be discouraged